Ewa Maslowska

The Customer Engagement Ecosystem

ABSTRACT Consumer engagement has been widely discussed in both the academic and practitioner literature, but there is no consensus about its meaning, what phenomena constitute engagement or what its antecedents and consequences are. Therefore, we propose that the term engagement should be eluded and that more specific terms should be used for the different phenomena. Building on the previous literature, we propose the customer engagement ecosystem, a conceptual model that encompasses brand actions, other actors, customer brand experience, shopping behaviours, brand consumption and brand-dialogue behaviours. The model posits that interactions between these elements are non-linear and reactive; meaning that each action causes a reaction of not only the intended recipient of the message, but the whole ecosystem. Hence, the model reflects the interconnected character of today’s marketing environment. It also recognises the growing importance of empowered consumers by distinguishing different forms of brand dialogue behaviours, which describe customers’ non-purchase focused behaviours.

Brand marketing, big data and social innovation as future research directions for engagement

The articles by Leckie, Nyadzayo, and Johnson (2016), Marbach (2016) and Dessart, Veloutsou, and Morgan-Thomas (2016) presented in this issue provide a suitable reflection of the current state of e...

Too good to be true:: the role of online reviews’ features in probability to buy

Online consumer reviews are broadly believed to be a necessary and powerful marketing tool, and as such they have attracted considerable attention from both marketers and academics. However, previous research has not sufficiently focused on the effects of various review features on sales but rather used proxy measures such as consumers’ purchase intention or perceived helpfulness of reviews. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of review valence and volume on actual sales. We use data from three different e-commerce websites and study light bulbs, womens athletic shoes, natural hair care products, and herbal vitamins. The results show that, contrary to popular belief, more positive ratings do not simply result in higher sales. We find that the effect can be nonlinear, where the probability of purchase increases with rating to about 4.2–4.5 stars, but then decreases. Also, although the majority of extant research suggests that larger numbers of reviews bring more positive outcomes, we show that it is not always the case.

Assessing the cross-cultural applicability of tailored advertising - A comparative study between the Netherlands and Poland

This study compares the effectiveness of tailored advertising in two European Union member states: a longstanding member with a long history of advertising, the Netherlands; and a new member with a shorter advertising tradition, Poland. The positive effects of tailored advertising are hypothesised to be stronger among Polish consumers than among Dutch consumers because of the different advertising traditions in these two countries. A between-subjects experiment is conducted to test individuals’ responses to tailored versus generic advertisements for an unknown face-cream brand. The results show that tailoring is effective in influencing message attitudes, brand attitudes and purchase intentions, but only for Polish consumers. This tailoring effect is mediated by involvement with the message, message relevance and scepticism about the message. These findings suggest that tailored advertising can be used successfully in less marketing-savvy countries such as Poland, but that it may not be effective in more marketing-savvy countries such as the Netherlands.

Do customer reviews drive purchase decisions? The moderating roles of review exposure and price

Customers read reviews to reduce the risk associated with a purchase decision. While prior studies have focused on the valence and volume of reviews, this study provides a more comprehensive understanding of how reviews influence customers by considering two additional factorsexposure to reviews and price relative to other products in the category. Data provided by two online retailers are used for the analysis. The results reveal a four-way interaction with the effect of valence on purchase probability strongest when (1) there are many reviews, (2) the customer reads reviews, and (3) the product is higher priced. The effects of valence are smaller, but still positive, in the other conditions. We develop theoretical explanations for the effects based on dual processing models and prospect theory, and provide a sensitivity analysis. We discuss implications for academics, manufacturers and online retailers. The effect of valence on purchase is stronger when the volume of reviews is large.The valence effect is stronger for high-price products.The valence effect is stronger for consumers reading reviews.We use the elaboration likelihood model for a theoretical explanation.

It Is All in the Name: A Study of Consumers' Responses to Personalized Communication

ABSTRACT Personalized communication is believed to be an effective persuasion strategy. However, few studies have examined the underlying processes responsible for its effects. This study investigates the role of perceived personalization as a mediating process. Three personalization strategies are compared: raising expectation, identification, and contextualization. The results confirm that perceived personalization mediates the effects of personalized advertising on attention, cognitive responses, and attitude toward the message. The increased attention caused by perceived personalization stimulates both positive and negative thoughts about the message. The findings imply that personalized advertisements have stronger effects when receivers are aware of the personalization elements.

Understanding the effects of different review features on purchase probability

ABSTRACT The role of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has been recognized by marketers and academics, but little research has examined the impact of eWOM on purchase behavior. Building on dual-process models of persuasion, this study aims to disentangle the effect of different online review features (i.e. argument quality, review valence, review helpfulness, message sidedness, source credibility and reviewer recommendation). Using product reviews and purchase data from an online retailer website, we investigate the financial impact of online product reviews on purchase decisions. The results demonstrate the persuasive power of different review features that are derived from dual-process models of information processing. Managerial implications on how advertisers and companies should design and manage online product reviews are offered.

The Effect of Online Customer Reviews’ Characteristics on Sales

Online customer reviews help consumers make decisions, such as purchasing products, watching movies, or joining a sports club. Online reviews have become a major driving force in marketing (Cui et al., 2012) and are a common feature on many websites. Information from other consumers, such as online reviews, is thought to be more persuasive because it is allegedly written by other consumers rather than brands, and is therefore perceived as being more credible and trustworthy (Willemsen et al., 2012).

The Role of Big Data in Programmatic TV Advertising

TV remains the most popular advertising medium, and total global TV advertising revenue is forecasted to rise (PWC, 2016). But, what do we mean by TV? Until recently, there was a clear divide between TV content and online video. TV programs were mainly delivered through linear platforms (cable/satellite) while online video was delivered over the Internet.

Understanding programmatic TV advertising

ABSTRACT Television is undergoing tremendous technological developments, which will enable marketers to direct commercial messages to more specific audiences at the individual and/or household level. Traditional ways of buying TV advertising are being challenged by the programmatic approach, which originated with search and display ads, and uses data and technology and real-time auctions to automate transactions between buyers and sellers. We discuss the changes to TV that enable the rise of programmatic models and propose that its future success depends on the coordination and availability of three factors, abbreviated DAD: distribution, ad inventory and data. We also elaborate on the effects of media context and how the TV program environment matters for advertising effectiveness. Finally, we discuss the future of TV advertising and related research needs.